Facebook is implementing stricter measures to clamp down on fake profiles and news. In the latest, Facebook has now busted a troll farm. Facebook said it has discovered and targeted a troll farm run by the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK). It was alleged that MEK used artificial intelligence-generated fake faces to populate fake accounts. Facebook linked the troll farm to 300 different profiles on Facebook’s platform.
What is (Mujahideen-e-Khalq) MEK and Why Is It Under The Scanner?
The MEK is an exiled opposition group that backs the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The U.S. designated the group as a terrorist organization in 1997. Later the Obama administration removed the designation in 2012.
Facebook has alleged that the troll farm pushed traditional MEK messages criticizing Iran’s clerical regime and praised the MEK itself. Countering Facebook, the MEK denied any affiliation with the accounts and called the company’s report “absolutely false”.
MEK’s Modus Operandi
According to a report on the operation by Facebook: The operation posted the content that aligned with Albania’s time zone and bore “hallmarks of a so-called troll farm—a physical location where a collective of operators share computers and phones.
The latest report by Facebook includes an announcement of takedowns from 11 different countries including from Mexico to Egypt, Spain, and others.
Stricter Privacy Policies By Facebook
Facebook has put in stricter privacy rules recently. Facebook has added end-to-end encryption to both Facebook Messenger and Instagram as part of a grand plan to create a new social network for private communications.
Facebook has also put policies to better identify false news through our community and third-party fact-checking organizations among other measures. NewsMobile has also been a part of the global program which has helped stop the spread of misinformation and fake news.